I saw this product in the new Mountain Gear catalog, and it made me laugh, and it made me sad at the same time. When I first started climbing, ~23 years ago, climbing was kinda popular, but you could still feel a little bit 'out there' even on the moderate routes because only loonies rock climb.

Seeing a product like this out there means that climbing has become so mainstream it is practically soccer. After googling, I found that is not the only product of this type.

Time for something crazier I guess, but I can't base jump or wingsuit as I am afraid of heights. And dying.

so there you are, strapped to a backboard, c-spine immobilized. at your side are exhausted and cranky SAR types.
some dissension is brewing about route finding down a treacherous moraine.
you're praying they won't lose their grip on you atop the snowfield.

this is a gym climbing thing. several people at my gym wear these fruity glasses.
then you see them outdoors... like at the Gunks......... I guess I can understand their point (saving your neck?), but I mean, isn't that part of climbing?
what's wrong with being uncomfortable from time to time? have you tried ice climbing, where you're uncomfortable from the moment you leave your car till when you get back home and your thighs are still thawing out??

I'm not a good climber/old school by any means, but whenever I see someone wearing these fruity glasses, I just roll my eyes.
quit being a pussy. and if your neck hurts so much, quit being a belay bitch.

But this ain't no 'kids these days' product. If you search the ST archives, which ain't easy, you'll find a remarkable image of John Bachar wearing a version of these.

Its really a boomer product for us gimped up old f*#ks who've broken our necks or had our backs fused. I've insulted the hell out of my back but my false pride and dignity have prevented usages of such glasses.

But Bachar bragged about them. He dang sure was a brave fellow, witness his 4th of You Lie thread.

We're all doomed bearbnz. Try not to 'kids these days' old-man-yourself-into-an-early-grave though.

DMT - I hope so. Gives my boys something to look forward to, they either want to see DMT or a Chupacabra, and they have been disappointed the last few visits by seeing neither. Remarkable thread about your health issues, now we are even more hopeful to see you out there and back at it.

Johnny, how did you know I don't use the elevator? Oh well, the building I work in is only 2 stories tall (one of the tallest in Bridgeport, right?), and stairs are good for you. The biggest downside of these belay glasses is that I made the mistake of googling them, and now ST is putting up belay glasses ads on the sidebars and header... Joke's on me, I guess.

They were good enough for JB, but of course, not good enough for the usual brigade of ST has-beens and never-wases. That JB used them perfectly illustrates the inverse correlation between skill and ego / insecurity.

I'm sure all the eye rolling wankers dissing them also eschew modern padded harnesses in favor of old school swami belts, and a sling load of hexes over cams. After all, climbing should never be comfortable or made any easier, yes?

I don't own a pair, because my neck doesn't bother me enough *yet* and I also have not recently been spending a lot of time as ballast for someone working out lots of hard moves for long periods on a future project - which is what these were designed for, I believe.

And just lol@ the mental midget who immediately cited ice climbing's existence as the reason anyone doing anything at all more comfortable should just quietly suffer all discomfort despite a viable solution. I'm no logician, but I think that is what is known as "Reductio ad absurdum"?